An unknown disease has killed at least 67 people in two weeks in Congo

Photo: Moses Sawasawa Associated Press The deaths were recorded between November 10 and 25 in the Panzi health zone in Kwango province, western Congo. Pictured is a health worker at a treatment center for mpox in Munigi, eastern Congo, in August.

Jean-Yves Kamale – Associated Press in Kinshasa

Published at 1:05 p.m.

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• Africa

An unknown disease has killed at least 67 people in two weeks in southwestern Congo, local authorities said.

The deaths were recorded between Nov. 10 and Nov. 25 in the Panzi health zone in Kwango province.

Symptoms included fever, headache, cough and anemia, provincial Health Minister Apollinaire Yumba told reporters over the weekend.

Between 67 and 143 people have died, provincial Deputy Governor Remy Saki told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

A team of epidemiological experts is scheduled to travel to the the region to take samples and identify the problem, according to the vice governor.

Mr. Yumba advised the population to exercise caution and refrain from touching the dead to avoid contamination. He called on national and international partners to send medical equipment to address the health crisis.

Congo is already in the grip of a mpox epidemic, with more than 47,000 suspected cases and more than 1,000 deaths believed to be linked to the disease in the central African country, according to the World Health Organization.